Two months ago, I wondered if I could wear a dress over pants — with mixed results. But when it comes to fashion, I can never quite admit defeat. I tinkered with the look again and again — and after some ingredient swapping, I found the key elements to making this layered look work. But before […]
Month: December 2014
How to Wear a Transparent Margiela Sweater
Most fashion, even from luxury brands, is built to be crowd-pleasing. Every fashion company wants to maximize sales and exposure, and blockbuster designs are non-confrontational and easy-to wear. (Example: The iconic Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress.) So it’s very inspiring when you find a designer that is more interested in clothes as a concept than as a vehicle […]
Catalog Police: Anthropologie Holiday Lookbook 2014
Christmas is less than two weeks away, and Anthropologie wants you to know IT HAS GIFTS FOR YOU TO BUY! I took a look at the selection, and I can confirm that Anthropologie has plenty of gifts for the people you just HAVE to buy for — like your tax preparer at H&R Block, that discreet Walgreens cashier and your […]
The Easy Peplum: A New Sew Solution
Recently, my friend Rhiannon McClintock approached me with a challenge. Rhiannon, an actress with a bevy of theater credits to her name, had a treasure trove of old vintage costumes she had purchased from theaters around the city. The problem? Vintage costumes look… well, costume-y. She needed to reinvent these theatrical pieces as modern outfits for for […]
Can I Pull This Off? Children’s Clothes
In the summer of 1994, I received my first issue of my W subscription. After an initial perusal, I went to my mother and told her very matter-of-factly that I only wanted to wear Moschino from then on. My mom clucked at me and said, “You better get a good job.” Fast-forward 20 years, and my […]
Snakes and Stripes
Since starting this blog, I’ve made it a mission to experiment with some bolder sartorial choices. (Who could forget my doomed “socks with heels” experiment?) Lately, I’ve been attempting a lot of pattern-on-pattern, wherein you layer two pieces that ostensibly should clash. It’s a bit like chemistry — if the wrong combination occurs, the beaker explodes. And […]
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The Sweater From Outer Space
It’s no secret that a cashmere sweater and cigarette jeans are the weekend uniform for fall. Is the combo chic? Perhaps. Easy? Definitely. Pragmatic? Of course. But it’s also… incredibly boring. Since moving to New York, I’ve accumulated more than a dozen crewneck sweaters, but I dreaded wearing them. A sweater and jeans feels like a sartorial Groundhog Day […]
Catalog Police: Free People December 2014
Happy Friday! Welcome back to Catalog Police, my weekly shakedown of mail-order atrocities. This week, we’re examining Free People’s latest catalog, which inexplicably ignores the fact that it’s freezing outside and aims for the tropics, with a side of desert boho. Let’s dig a little deeper. I’m sick of backpacks already — but WHAT is that monstrosity on […]
Commence the Closet Demolition
My husband and I co-exist in a 500 square-foot apartment. This pint-sized piece of Manhattan somehow squeezes in a bathroom, sleeping alcove, kitchen, living room and two closets. Needless to say, none of these spaces are particularly roomy — I’ve been in hotel rooms with bathtubs that are bigger than our entire apartment. (Mostly in Orlando.) Renovations are desperately needed across […]
Adventures in Layering
This season, the overarching theme is the LAYER. (Pronounce it lay-aaaah to maximum fashion-ness.) Layering is hard to pull off — it can be easy to mismatch items or go overboard and look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Today’s outfit is my ultimate layering triumph. Not only does the combination splice together eight different materials, it’s […]